Or would they have happened anyway?
Robertson, Parker, and Ace Towing helped fuel conditions for crime sprees, but no one had made Joshua get into the car or Roberto Simmons pull the trigger.
But at least Chase Laclede now had more to argue. Who was worse? The person who pulls the trigger or the person who puts the gun in someone's hand and encourages them to shoot?
Like Flannery, Chase had been more open with Debbie, but also spoke completely off the record. Now that Robertson was dead, and the depths of the corruption were only starting to be uncovered and would likely go deeper than many were comfortable with, he felt confident that the prosecutors might not want to push too hard against his clients.
"There's no way trying Joshua as an adult is on the table now. Judge Jamison isn't just going to let Joshua out. But he may let him go in a couple of years, provided Joshua shows he's trying to mend his ways. And with Roberto Simmons, I might be able to get a decent plea deal for him."
As for the whereabouts of the gun, and the grocery store carjackers, they were still a mystery.
These were all things Debbie knew, but couldn't write. Not yet.
But she did learn that Hawkins was the one who'd shot at her. He was the one driving the stolen car that tried to run her down. But he insisted they were just warnings, not really meant to kill her. Just scare her.
It would be up to a jury to decide whether they believed his story or not.
Even if she couldn't write about all she knew because of the off-the-record material, her stories about her ordeal went viral. The online traffic numbers set a record. And they even got hits well beyond St. Louis.
But after she'd spent a week holed up at home, padding between her room and the kitchen wearing sweatpants, her mother had declared it was enough. She was having a gathering of all the people who had reason to celebrate the dismantling of the crime ring.
Already, Debbie could hear people being let in through the front door. Debbie checked her laptop one more time.
"Debbie! Come on down," Beth called up the stairs.
The daughter dutifully shut her computer. The stories would have to wait.
The reporter descended the stairs, still a bit battered and bruised. Chase stood at the bottom of the stairs, offering his arm when she descended.
"Good to finally see you in person rather than just email and talk on the phone, Crime Beat Girl," he said teasingly.
"Ugh, please don't call me that."
The pair entered the kitchen where everyone seemed to have gathered.
"Miss Bradley!" Jarrett said, instantly embarrassed at being happy to see her.
Ada Davis set down a covered dish, then reached out to Debbie and grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly. "Oh Lord, child. What are we going to do with you? And with my grandson? You fools."
Jarrett's mom spoke. "For the record, I'm the brave one."
Sergeant Davis, who was standing nearby, shook his head.
"I hope Jarrett isn't in too much trouble," Debbie said. "I'm really sorry I got him in all this."
"Oh, he's in big trouble," Ada spoke up. "Grounded. No car. Not for a while."
But Debbie caught Jarrett smiling.
"What? That shouldn't make you happy."
"I got some good news today," he confessed.
"Yes?"
Jarrett looked at Darlinda Owens and then at Chase's mom.
Chase's mom nodded. "You can tell her. Only it's still a secret. So no stories, Debbie."
"Missouri Science and Tech got in touch with me. They think I'd make a good scholarship candidate. Depending on my ACT scores, it could be a very big one."
"That's wonderful!" Debbie said, one of many voices shouting congratulations.
Sam Hitchens, who had been standing in the living room talking with Flannery and Beth Hughes, entered. "If the kid gets a scholarship, our readers are going to love that. At least when we can print it. Our owner is going to love that. And if you write it, Crime Beat Girl, he'll love it even more."
"I think I've earned the right to demand we drop the girl. You know I hate it. Why not just stick with Crime Beat?"
"So, does that mean you're going to stay?" Sam asked.
The room fell silent, waiting for Debbie's answer. Only a knock at the door stopped Debbie before she could reply. "Who else did you invite to this?" she asked as she made her way to the door.
"I think this is it," Beth answered as Flannery stood next to the lawyer, holding a tray of food. Debbie couldn't help but notice that the detective seemed content to do her mother's bidding.
Debbie opened the door. Her heart squeezed in her chest. She hadn't prepared herself for this.
"Christian!"
"It looks like I'm interrupting something," he said, the slightly arrogant smile that Debbie always loved lighting up his face. "Are you going to invite me in?"
"Of course," Debbie said, gesturing inside.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet..." Debbie paused, unsure how she felt about the words fiancé or even former fiancé. "Christian Garza. He's a reporter from Washington, D.C."
Christian looked at Debbie. "Well, hopefully I'm a little more than that. And I bring word from your old paper. They really want you to come back."
Debbie looked to Beth, who stood completely still. She noticed that Chase's hand seemed to tighten around his wine glass. Sam looked at the floor.
To be sure, D.C. was the capital of the country. St. Louis was yet another city on the decline. In Washington, powerful people gathered to make important decisions. St. Louis was not much more than a curious stop on old Route 66. A story about corruption in D.C. would resonate worldwide. A story about corruption in St. Louis was no different than a story about misdeed in Detroit or Chicago.
And yet, Debbie realized, I care so much more about what happens to the people here than I ever did in D.C. Perhaps it has made a difference in my work. Maybe, just maybe, by coming home, I've become a better reporter.
Debbie smiled, cleared her head, and raised her wine glass.
"Today, we're celebrating my story. And Jarrett's good news. And dropping girl from Crime Beat," Debbie announced. "The rest will have to wait."
The END
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Acknowledgements
It takes a village to complete a novel.
Thank you to Bryan Quertermous for reading a very early, very rough draft of Crime Beat Girl. Your feedback was enormously helpful.
Another round of thanks goes to Christine LePorte for content editing and proofreading. Your catches and clean-ups are most appreciated.
A shout-out to my daughter, Casey Kiernan, the model for the cover of Crime Beat Girl. I'll never forget our Saturday morning photoshoot on the lonely streets of St. Louis in the midst of a pandemic.
And most of all, a special heartfelt thank you to my husband, Enrique Serrano Valle. His encouragement and support are vital to my writing. He's always willing to read yet another draft and provide a bit more feedback to help hone my work. And when it comes to creating a cover, I rely on his ability as a photographer and designer to distill my story into one final image.
Crime Beat Girl Page 20